[mp_row]
[mp_span col=”12″]
[mp_image id=”166″ size=”full” link_type=”custom_url” link=”#” target=”false” caption=”false” align=”left”]
[/mp_span]
[/mp_row]
[mp_row]
[mp_span col=”12″ style=”min-height: 50px;” classes=” motopress-space”]
[mp_space margin=”none,20,none,none”]
[/mp_span]
[/mp_row]
[mp_row]
[mp_span col=”12″]
John 14:6 is one of the most popular and known verses in the Good News of Jesus Christ. In it, he tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life; and that the only way to come to the Father is through him. We are living in a time in human history that is unprecedented. We know more than we’ve ever known. More knowledge is readily available than ever in any period of human existence, and for the most part, people no longer need to wait to be taught the Good News of Jesus Christ; they can see and hear dynamic men and women teaching and preaching the gospel within a matter of seconds. To become acquainted with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the way to God, a computer or cell phone is all that is needed, and most folks have at least one of those. With this readily accessible biblical knowledge, a risk has also come to the forefront, and this is the thing that we need to be extremely careful about, particularly now.
Life is a moving vehicle that has both its ups and downs. Each of us is responsible for building a life of our own on the foundation of Jesus Christ. As we grow mentally, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually; we find our groove. We find a stride that works for us, and we keep it moving, so to speak. Every day we make it work, and do what we need to do. We have our routines, and we like sticking to them. Most of us are not fans of too much change. We begin to view our lives through this lens of routine, and it is sometimes a very narrow lens; one that can cause us to become stuck in a rut.
The thing with life is that everything changes. Sometimes those changes are good, and sometimes they are very bad. Most of us would like to think that we can roll with the punches no matter what, but we find out very quickly that life isn’t that predictable. It can land some punches that will knock you to the ground. I saw a friend of mine the other day, and her arm was black and blue with bruises. Her husband passed away a little while ago, so she’s selling her home and moving to a new place. When I asked what happened, she told me she tripped over some boxes and had fallen. She said that when she hit the ground, she was so stunned that she just had to lay there a few minutes to get her bearing.
This is what happens sometimes. We fall, and we have to be still in order to get our bearings. The aim, of course, is to get back up, and do so with no collateral damage, but you can’t do that if John 14:6 isn’t your anchor. Discomfort is a calling card for change. As troubling things happen around us and to us, the first thought in our minds should be one of getting prepared to change our patterns and routines so that we can go higher in Christ. Veterans in the faith would see trouble and warn, “the devil is busy.” Most of us have been on this Christian journey long enough to know the signs. We know what happens if we allow the enemy room. To say that he will heap havoc in a person’s life is an understatement. Our defense is to draw nearer to God, and to do more to sharpen our relationship with Him.
There are two things that we can never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever afford to underestimate, and that is #1) the degree to which satan will use our sinful missteps and mishaps to devastate our lives, and #2) the degree to which the blood of Jesus has cancelled out his plans. We are reaching some very critical points, trusting the blood of Jesus is a matter of life or death. It’s not enough to know it, we have to trust it and be incredibly thankful for it. There can be no doubt about this.
Because knowledge regarding the Word of God is so readily available, there is a danger of waiting to become as anchored in it as we should be. If you’ve been with me for a while, one of the things that you will hear me say is that God is an Excellent Giver. He gives us blessings of which we have the capacity to be truly, authentically, and deeply thankful to receive. If you lack the capacity to feel gratitude on a level that expresses genuine love from your heart, you will ultimately overlook or neglect the blessing, and allow it to slip through your fingers.
God gives us powerful insight regarding our hearts in Jeremiah 17:9-10The Message (MSG). He tells us, “9-10 The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.” You and I don’t get to decide when the well of gratitude in our hearts is where it needs to be. God knows when our hearts are genuine and true. He knows when our faith in Him and our appreciation for the sacrifice of Christ is real.
God’s Word has a tornado effect. Every time that we read even the simplest and sweetest verse, those verses that are so poignant and precious to us, the effect of them becomes greater. Reading God’s Word empowers the Holy Spirit to work within our hearts and minds to deepen our comprehension and understanding of that Word. And when the Word deepens in our hearts, our heart capacity increases towards the love of God.
Hebrews 10:1 tells us that the old system, the system of laws under Moses, was a shadow of the excellent things that God had planned for His people. Under the old system, sacrifices were repeated over and over, year after year. This was necessary because the sacrifice of animals could not provide the perfect cleansing that we needed. In Leviticus 17:11, we see the Immutable Law of God regarding this. This law tells us that life is in the blood. A body without blood is not alive. Blood has cleansing ability, and it brings life.
On the opposite side of this, sin has staining ability. Sin is a spiritual transaction of disobedience, and the payment for it is death. Romans 6:23 testifies of this truth. Leviticus 17:11 tells us that blood, given in exchange for a life, will make purification possible. We are spiritual beings made in the image of our Father. EVERYTHING in our lives is spiritual. Not one thing that occurs in your life on a daily basis is outside the parameters of a spiritual event. The ramifications or consequences of an action that is not spun from God’s love requires a payment. This payment is necessary for the continuance of life. Because of Christ, and the blood that he shed on the cross, you have life! But if a person continues in sin, without a genuine and authentic plea for the covering of the blood of Jesus, the devil can legally bring destruction and death their way.
The amount of gratitude that you must have for this gift of eternal life through Christ will never match the benefits you have received, because the benefits are eternal. They will never stop. So, God wants our well of gratitude to continuously swell for the blood of Jesus, so that our hearts expand and we are able to grow into the people He has called us to be. We must know what it means to plead the blood of Christ. We must acknowledge the shape we’re in. We’ve fallen in our commitment to God, because we’re not as loving and kind to one another as we should be; and we have not been as thankful for the blood as we should.
Our ability to get back up after we’ve fallen, to stand solid, and to remain in the ark of God’s safety depends on our trust in the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of our sins. When we’re on the ground, we need to be still, and repent as we reflect on the goodness of God, then we can get up covered by the blood of the lamb. It is not what we can do for God that saves us. It is what He has done for us through Christ. He asks only that we live as though we appreciate his sacrifice.■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Trust the Blood of Jesus Christ” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
[/mp_span]
[/mp_row]